Agreement ends West Virginia strike, gives teachers 5% raise

National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen García issued the following statement, in reaction to Tuesday’s agreement that will allow West Virginia to attract and retain the best educators for West Virginia students.

“I am so proud of West Virginia educators and the West Virginia Education Association, without whom the West Virginia Senate would not have honored the agreement to give educators, school support staff and all public employees a 5 percent raise. They have stood in solidarity and made their voices heard to demand recognition of their professionalism and dignity because they know attracting and retaining the most caring and competent educators for West Virginia students is essential to their state’s success.

“While this is a good first step, West Virginia will need to make additional changes to ensure they can recruit the best educators in the future. Even with this raise they remain 43rd in the country for teacher pay, and unless the task force charged with addressing the health care system is successful, the victory will be short lived. It is important that the task force confront the serious challenges facing the state’s Public Employee Insurance Agency (PEIA) and generate solutions that are fair, equitable, and do not balance shortfalls on the backs of public service workers like educators, librarians, or state employees. I have complete faith in the educators of West Virginia to continue making their voices heard and ensure the task force is successful.

“Students, parents, administrators, school superintendents, community and faith leaders, and a bipartisan effort from lawmakers were also essential to reaching this agreement, and we can’t thank them enough for the outpouring of support they provided our educators over the past two weeks.

“This is a great day for West Virginia’s students and its future.”

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West Virginia’s striking teachers cheered and applauded Tuesday as lawmakers acted to end a nine-day classroom walkout, agreeing to grant them 5 percent pay hikes that are also being extended to all state workers. A huge crowd of teachers packing the Capitol chanted jubilantly, sang John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and some even wept for joy at the settlement.

West Virginia lawmakers said Tuesday morning that a deal has been reached to deliver a 5% pay raise to teachers, according to the governor and the committee meeting on the matter. Teachers have been on strike since February 22. At a committee meeting Tuesday, state Sen.